# Kaya Jones
**Kaya Jones** (born 1984 in Toronto as Chrystal Neria) is a Canadian-born American pop and gospel recording artist who first came to public attention as a member of the Pussycat Dolls, left the group in 2005, and built an independent solo career spanning dance-pop, gospel-rooted songwriting, and advocacy work.[1](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6737941206) • [2](https://kayajones.com/bio) She is a featured vocalist on "Let It Be Love" from Jason Crabb's *Unexpected*, which won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Roots Gospel Album.[3](https://kayajones.com/press)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name and origin | Born Chrystal Neria in Toronto in 1984; describes her heritage as Jamaican through her mother and Native American through her father[2](https://kayajones.com/bio) • [1](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6737941206) |
| Early career | Discovered at thirteen by R. Kelly; signed to Capitol Records as a teenager[2](https://kayajones.com/bio) |
| Pussycat Dolls | Joined the group in 2003 and left in 2005 to build a solo career[2](https://kayajones.com/bio) • [4](https://washingtonian.com/2017/10/19/kaya-jones-pussycat-dolls-hannity-breitbart-trump/) |
| Solo releases | Singles "Take It Off" and "Into the Sun"; albums *Kaya* (2012) and *Kaya - Rise of the Phoenix* (2015)[5](https://kayajones.com/music) |
| Grammy connection | Featured vocalist on "Let It Be Love" from Jason Crabb's *Unexpected*, 2019 Grammy winner for Best Roots Gospel Album; the Recording Academy lists Crabb as the award recipient[3](https://kayajones.com/press) |
| Current album | *Choose Life* (2026), a 13-track album with producer Housenatic in an electronic dance and Afro house style[6](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/grammy-winner-kaya-jones-and-producer-housenatic-release-new-afro-house-album-choose-life-302792101.html) |
## Early life and entry into music
Jones was born in Toronto and spent her early years traveling with her family through the Caribbean before the family settled in Las Vegas.[1](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6737941206) She describes her heritage as Jamaican through her mother and Native American through her father.[2](https://kayajones.com/bio) Her official biography recounts being discovered at thirteen by the singer and producer [R. Kelly](https://www.edgepedia.org/r-kelly) and signing to [Capitol Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/capitol-records) as a teenager.[2](https://kayajones.com/bio) In a 2012 interview she described that development deal as mismatched with her own instincts, saying the label wanted punk-rock material and that she had accepted the deal for the wrong reasons.[7](https://life-is-awesome.net/2012/05/01/kayajones/)
## The Pussycat Dolls
In 2003, at nineteen, Jones joined the Pussycat Dolls, the pop group whose early-aughts run placed it among the most commercially visible girl groups of the decade.[4](https://washingtonian.com/2017/10/19/kaya-jones-pussycat-dolls-hannity-breitbart-trump/) A talent-development biography credits her as one of the group's lead singers, and her own biography states that she left in 2005 to begin building a solo career.[8](https://framebyframeentertainment.com/html/soundtracks/bio/kayajones/kayajones_bio.html) • [2](https://kayajones.com/bio)
Her account of the group has been contested. In interviews she described an environment she compared unfavorably to a "prostitution ring" and said members struggled with eating disorders and drug problems.[9](https://time.com/6981980/fallen-idols-docuseries-nick-aaron-carter/) • [4](https://washingtonian.com/2017/10/19/kaya-jones-pussycat-dolls-hannity-breitbart-trump/) [The Pussycat Dolls](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-pussycat-dolls), in a statement to [Fox News](https://www.edgepedia.org/fox-news), called her allegations false.[4](https://washingtonian.com/2017/10/19/kaya-jones-pussycat-dolls-hannity-breitbart-trump/)
## Solo career
After leaving the group, Jones released solo singles including "Take It Off" and "Into the Sun."[2](https://kayajones.com/bio) Her discography lists the studio albums *Kaya* (2012) and *Kaya - Rise of the Phoenix* (2015), alongside the compilations *Confessions of a Hollywood Doll* (2012), *Kaya - The Chrystal Neria Album* (2015), and *The Royal Collection* (2025).[5](https://kayajones.com/music) Early in her solo period she also appeared in the music video for D12 and Eminem's "How Come" and sang backup vocals for [Mick Jagger](https://www.edgepedia.org/mick-jagger) on "Old Habits Die Hard," the Golden Globe-winning song from the film *Alfie*.[8](https://framebyframeentertainment.com/html/soundtracks/bio/kayajones/kayajones_bio.html) Apple Music lists her genre as pop, with "Breathe Into Me" and "S.T.E.R.E.O." among her most popular songs.[1](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6737941206)
## The Grammy-winning recording
Jones is the featured vocalist on "Let It Be Love" from Jason Crabb's album *Unexpected*, which won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Roots Gospel Album.[3](https://kayajones.com/press) Her press materials are explicit about the shape of that credit: the Recording Academy lists Crabb as the award recipient.[3](https://kayajones.com/press) Press descriptions of her as a "Grammy-winning" artist rest on this featured appearance rather than on a Grammy awarded to her own project.[6](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/grammy-winner-kaya-jones-and-producer-housenatic-release-new-afro-house-album-choose-life-302792101.html)
## Faith, advocacy, and politics
Faith has shaped the career Jones describes publicly. Her biography recounts [Hebrew Bible](https://www.edgepedia.org/hebrew-bible) studies, recording the prayer "The Shema," Christian performances, hosting the 2024 International Christian Film Festival, and volunteer work with children and communities in Israel in 2024.[2](https://kayajones.com/bio) Her advocacy through music has addressed human trafficking and military families, and she has described performances for U.S. troops overseas.[2](https://kayajones.com/bio) She has also spoken publicly about her personal experience with abortion, presenting those conversations in the context of healing.[2](https://kayajones.com/bio)
**Conservative politics.** Jones became a visible supporter of Donald Trump and, in 2017, joined the National Diversity Coalition for Trump as its Native American Ambassador.[10](https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/kaya-jones-goes-off-on-gun-control-protesters-in-fiery-twitter-rant) A 2017 Washingtonian profile traced her ascent through appearances on Fox News, Breitbart, and Infowars, describing the premium conservative media placed on a figure with a pop-star pedigree.[4](https://washingtonian.com/2017/10/19/kaya-jones-pussycat-dolls-hannity-breitbart-trump/)
**Fallen Idols.** In 2024 she appeared in the four-part docuseries *Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter*, in which she discussed her relationship with [Nick Carter](https://www.edgepedia.org/nick-carter) in the 2000s and connected the abuse she says she endured in the Pussycat Dolls to that relationship.[9](https://time.com/6981980/fallen-idols-docuseries-nick-aaron-carter/) • [1](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6737941206) Carter has denied the allegations against him.[9](https://time.com/6981980/fallen-idols-docuseries-nick-aaron-carter/)
## Choose Life
In 2026 Jones and the electronic producer Housenatic released *Choose Life*, a 13-track album of electronic dance music rooted in [Afro house](https://www.edgepedia.org/afro-house), distributed through Shiloah Records.[5](https://kayajones.com/music) • [11](https://kayajones.com/) Production was funded in part by a grant from the Faith in Music Foundation, a nonprofit founded by Michael Sweet of the [Christian metal](https://www.edgepedia.org/christian-metal) band Stryper and his wife, Lisa Champagne-Sweet, that covers recording and touring expenses for independent artists.[6](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/grammy-winner-kaya-jones-and-producer-housenatic-release-new-afro-house-album-choose-life-302792101.html) Jones described the album's aim as reaching young listeners with a message of hope rather than nihilism, and the project has expanded beyond the record into a campaign under the banner "L♥ve Everyone Unconditionally," with plans for visual storytelling and live performance.[6](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/grammy-winner-kaya-jones-and-producer-housenatic-release-new-afro-house-album-choose-life-302792101.html) • [12](https://kayajones.com/press-release/choose-life) Tracks include "Genesis," "Exodus," "Dark to Light," "Mahaba," and the title track.[12](https://kayajones.com/press-release/choose-life)
## References
1. [Kaya Jones - TV Shows and Music, Apple Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6737941206)
2. [About Kaya Jones | Artist Biography, Music & Story, kayajones.com](https://kayajones.com/bio)
3. [Kaya Jones EPK | Music, Biography, Press & Booking, kayajones.com](https://kayajones.com/press)
4. [How a Former Pussycat Doll Became a Darling of the Right, Washingtonian (October 19, 2017)](https://washingtonian.com/2017/10/19/kaya-jones-pussycat-dolls-hannity-breitbart-trump/)
5. [Kaya Jones Music & Discography, kayajones.com](https://kayajones.com/music)
6. [Grammy Winner Kaya Jones and Producer HouseNatic Release New Afro House Album "Choose Life", PR Newswire (June 4, 2026)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/grammy-winner-kaya-jones-and-producer-housenatic-release-new-afro-house-album-choose-life-302792101.html)
7. [KAYA JONES: Exclusive - Life Is Awesome (May 1, 2012)](https://life-is-awesome.net/2012/05/01/kayajones/)
8. [Frame By Frame Entertainment - Kaya Jones Bio](https://framebyframeentertainment.com/html/soundtracks/bio/kayajones/kayajones_bio.html)
9. [Everything to Know About the Explosive Nick and Aaron Carter Docuseries Fallen Idols, TIME (May 27, 2024)](https://time.com/6981980/fallen-idols-docuseries-nick-aaron-carter/)
10. [Kaya Jones goes off on gun control protesters in fiery Twitter rant, Fox News (March 14, 2018)](https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/kaya-jones-goes-off-on-gun-control-protesters-in-fiery-twitter-rant)
11. [Kaya Jones | Official Website & Choose Life Album](https://kayajones.com/)
12. [Press Release: Choose Life by Kaya Jones & Housenatic, kayajones.com](https://kayajones.com/press-release/choose-life)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › Pop singers, 2000s to present › Mainstream pop singers, 2000s–2010s › Surnames I to P*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license